Fighter-Turned-Author-Turned-Fighter-Again: Tank Abbott is Making a Comeback

---

Professional golf has the Champions Tour, a respectable way for golfers who are no longer at the peak of their profession to earn some money while still pursuing their lifelong passion.

MMA has no such thing, but that has never prevented a past-his-prime fighter from attempting an ill-fated comeback. Such is the case of David "Tank" Abbott, who at 47 years old, will compete for the first time in more than three years at King of the Cage “Fighting Legends” on April 13 at the Gold County Casino in Oroville, Calif.

Was Abbott’s last appearance, a 29-second knockout of the immortal Mike Bourke at a Ken Shamrock-promoted event in 2009, the impetus behind his return? Or did the Californian decide that his burgeoning career as an author was not going as planned? (Check out some of the customer reviews of “Bar Brawler” on Amazon.com and judge for yourself.) Maybe the UFC veteran just needs the money. According to the man himself, the answer is none of the above.

"A true warrior never puts down his sword and I love to do it," Abbott said in an interview with MMA Prime . "It's as simple as that. I never left."

If the poster on the King of the Cage website is to be believed -- a dicey proposition at best -- Abbott will lock horns with the 43-year-old Ruben Villareal in approximately two months. “Warpath” has tasted victory just once in his last eight outings, but he has maintained a fairly active schedule, competing 10 times over the past three years.

Assuming both men make it the cage in April, will this finally be Abbott’s last hurrah? A true warrior never puts down his sword -- sometimes it has to be pried from his hands before he gets the message.